The city of Eureka has taken ownership of Legends Parkway in an effort to provide public access to residents living in the Ashton Woods subdivision and the Allenton area.
The deal went into effect on May 20, when the Eureka Board of Aldermen voted 5-1 to approve the transfer. Ward 2 Alderwoman Carleen Murray voted against the agreement between the city and the Legends homeowners association, which previously owned and maintained the road.
Legends Parkway is a 2-mile road that connects Bald Hill Road to West Main Street.
Mayor Sean Flower said turning the private road into a public street was “Plan B” after the city determined it could not afford to replace the Allenton Bridge. The bridge replacement project was put on hold in October due to higher-than-expected construction costs, with the price ballooning from an estimated $7 million to $18 million.
In December, the Missouri Department of Transportation forced Eureka to shut down the dilapidated Allenton Bridge.
Since then, West Main Street has been the only way in and out of the Allenton area and Ashton Woods subdivision. That street is owned and maintained by the Union Pacific and BNSF railroad companies.
Flower said Legends Parkway would provide an alternative route if West Main Street were shut down due to an oncoming train.
“Everybody’s main focus is trying to provide public access over there, to the Ashton Woods and Allenton people, and not just leave them in a position where we basically throw our hands up and say, ‘Well, we’re going to do nothing,’” Flower said.
Flower said the cost to repair the street and bring it up to city standards is estimated to be between $1 million and $1.3 million.
He said the city may pay for the repairs from one of three sources. He said the city may use money from its general revenue fund, street and road fund or Proposition E revenue.
Flower said the aldermen will make the final decision on which funding source to use to repair the Legends Parkway.
Opposition
Murray said there were several reasons she voted against the agreement. She said she’s concerned about the potential cost of taking over the aging, damaged private street and refurbishing it.
“I agree that Ashton Woods absolutely needs a second entrance and exit; there are safety issues with only having one,” Murray said. “But I think that, first and foremost, we need to make sure we’re not getting into an unlimited expense item.”
Murray also claimed during the meeting that Ward 3 representatives Maria Ascrizzi and Jerry Holloway had conflicts of interest and should not have voted on the agreement, since they live in the Legends subdivision and pay the homeowner association an annual fee to maintain the parkway.
Ascrizzi said she reviewed the city’s conflict of interest code before the vote on the agreement and found that living in the Legends did not apply. Ascrizzi said she and Holloway both spoke with City Clerk Julie Wood before the meeting, explaining that they were Legends residents, as a matter of public record.
“This is the only other way out for people who live west of the Legends subdivision,” Ascrizzi said. “My decision (to vote on the agreement) wasn’t based on the people in the Legends but was more based on the fact that the people of Allenton and Ashton Woods had no other way through.”
Holloway said he had no comment on what he considered to be “unproven remarks” from Murray.
Flower said if Holloway and Ascrizzi were to abstain, there would be no representation from Ward 3 on the agreement. Ward 3 includes most of the Legends and Ashton Woods subdivisions and Allenton area.
“You’re effectively telling a couple thousand people that they have zero representation on a pretty significant issue in their ward,” Flower said. “(Murray) is arguing that everybody in the Legends, everybody in Ashton Woods, everybody in Allenton, forfeit their alderman vote.”
The parkway
The agreement calls for the road to be resurfaced in its entirety.
Flower said John Boggs, Public Works Department building commissioner, analyzed the street for existing damage and used data provided by the Legends HOA to calculate the estimate for the repairs.
Public Works also plans to assess if the 35-mph speed limit on the parkway is too fast for the current state of the road, Flower said.
Flower said the city will most likely seek a contractor to fix the parkway in the coming months. This will also give aldermen time to approve which funding source will be used for the project, he said.
Flower said the contractor will “pound and mill down” the existing concrete on the parkway, turning it into a stronger base for a new asphalt layer to be poured on.
The city will restripe the parkway for walking and bike paths and will perform regular maintenance seen on other city-owned streets, like snow removal or patching, according to the agreement.
Emergency response
Eureka Police Chief Michael Werges and Eureka Fire Protection District Chief Scott Barthelmass both spoke in favor of the parkway takeover at the May 20 meeting, citing better emergency response times.
“We have to have a viable way to get in and out,” Werges said. “This parkway opening up for us is something that, from a police department perspective, we would like to see. We’re here to make sure that everyone gets the response and the services they want and deserve.”
While both agencies have access through the subdivision, Barthelmass said at times, first responders are stalled while trying to open the gates at either end of the parkway.
Under the agreement, the city will be allowed to remove the gates permanently.
Barthelmass said emergency response times to the Allenton area increased from eight minutes to 19-plus minutes with the closure of the Allenton Bridge. However, he said only ambulances and smaller vehicles were allowed on the bridge in recent years due to weight limitations.
Barthelmass said the quickest way into the Allenton area for his crews would be to take Legends Parkway, but waiting for the gates to open can stall response times. Crews have a “Yelp” siren, which, when activated in the event of an emergency, should automatically open the gates to the Legends. Barthelmass said the system has failed in the past.
“On a medical call, like cardiac arrest, timeliness is of the essence for survivability,” he said. “You wait for the ‘Yelp,’ if that doesn’t work, you get the right (physical) key to get through. It’s a delay.”